Four years ago Corey Ellis was rated in the best 12 young players in the country.

The 184cm left-footed midfielder from Keilor in suburban Melbourne was drafted by Richmond with selection #12 in the 2014 AFL National Draft, held on the Gold Coast.

A product of the Western Jets in the TAC Cup and the Victorian Metro Under 18 side, he was chosen four spots after the SUNS’ first draftee Peter Wright (selection #8) and ahead of SUNS draftees Jarrod Garlett (#15) and Touk Miller (#29).

He was chosen just ahead of SUNS Academy product Lachie Weller, then drafted by Fremantle and now at the Gold Coast and this year third in the SUNS’ best & fairest.

And he was chosen ahead of Jake Lever (#14), Isaac Heeney (#18), Brayden Maynard  (#30), Daniel Howe (#31), Mitch McGovern (#43), Caleb Daniel (#46), Oscar McDonald (#53), Ed Langdon (#54), Dougal Howard (#56), Harris Andrews (#61) and Dan Butler (#67), among others.

The 2015 AFL Guide reported glowingly of Ellis. In part, the Guide said: “The skilful and composed midfielder was regarded as one of the best kicks and decision-makers in the Draft … the Tigers swooped with their first pick … his versatility to play off half back, in the midfield, even forward was on display.” 

Four years and 27 AFL games on, and celebrating his 22nd birthday today, Ellis is preparing to move to the Gold Coast to join Stuart Dew and the SUNS for the 2019 season and beyond.

He will bring with him some outstanding AFL credentials, and the learnings of time at a club which won the AFL flag in 2017 and made a preliminary final in 2018.

Like so many outstanding younger players, Ellis has a trademark junior story. He played in eight consecutive premierships with Keilor in the Essendon Districts Football League alongside rising Essendon star Jayden Laverde, and was best afield in four of the grand finals.

As one highly-regarded AFL recruiter said, he was “a gun junior”. 

So good that, despite missing much of a 2015 season due to a foot injury and the two first two rounds of the season, that after just two VFL games he broke into the Richmond side for his debut in Round 5 against Geelong at the MCG.

The Tigers lost by nine points, but Ellis had 13 possessions and kicked a goal. He missed Round 6 with a leg injury before playing the next five games.

After suffering a hip injury in Round 12 that would sideline him for a month, it was discovered that he had been born with a genetic anomaly via which he had an extra bone fragment on the outside of each of his feet. Surgery rectified the problem but his season was done.

In 2016 he played 11 of the first 12 games, including a career-best 23 possessions in a 35-point loss to Port Adelaide at the MCG. Playing mainly across half back, he averaged 15.3 possessions and three tackles.

A groin injury suffered at training sidelined him for seven weeks, and he had to be content with finishing the season with three games in the VFL.

Lingering groin problems disrupted his early 2017 pre-season and made for a late start to competition but after three VFL games he made his way into the AFL side in Round 7.

Richmond had won their first five but were flogged by Adelaide by 76 points and coach Damien Hardwick made four changes. Ellis got his chance.

He had two quiet games in losses to the Bulldogs and Fremantle before being omitted as one of six changes for Round 9.

He was an emergency as the Tigers lost to GWS by three points to fall to seventh on the ladder with a 5-4 record, and an emergency as they beat Essendon by 15 points in Round 10. He was so close.

Richmond won 10 of their next 13 to finish third on the home-and-away ladder, half a game behind Adelaide and Geelong,

After some consistent form in a Richmond VFL side also in premiership contention he got back into the side between Rounds 18-21.

All was going according to the Ellis plan. He had nine possessions in a win over GWS, 14 possessions and a goal in a win over the SUNS in his only game at Metricon and 10 possessions in two goals in a win over Hawthorn.

But in Round 21 Richmond lost by 14 points to Geelong on the back of a brilliant performance from Patrick Dangerfield.

The coach made three changes for the Round 22 clash with Fremantle that was career-changing for three young men.

Nineteen-year-old Jack Graham was included for his AFL debut. Jacob Townsend was recalled for his first AFL game of the year. And Ellis was dropped as ex-SUN Josh Caddy missed with a hamstring. Ivan Soldo was also dropped as Oleg Markov was included.

Richmond beat Fremantle by 104 points. Graham had 13 possessions, a goal and 11 tackles, and Townsend kicked six goals. The die was cast.

Graham and Townsend would play in a premiership five weeks later and Hardwick made only one more change for the year, with Caddy to return for Markov in the first final.

Richmond beat St Kilda by 41 points in Round 23, got over Geelong by 51 points in the qualifying final, beat GWS by 36 points in the preliminary final and stunned Adelaide by 48 points in the grand final.

Ellis was an emergency in Round 22, played VFL Round 23 and the first week of the finals, and was an emergency in the third week of the finals, when he sat out the VFL grand final to ensure he was fit if needed for the grand final. 

He wasn’t. He, Queenslander Shaun Hampson and Jayden Short were the emergencies on grand final day as Richmond ended a 38-year premiership drought. He was so close. He was even part of the Grand Final Parade through the streets of Melbourne.

This year he played in the opening two rounds, was dropped for Round 3 as Jack Higgins made his debut, and earned a recall for Rounds 16-17 but was dropped again in Round 18. He was an emergency in Round 20 and Round 22 but that was it.

His season and ultimately his time at Punt Road ended with two VFL finals losses, but after a trade to the SUNS with ex-Richmond teammate Anthony Miles a new beginning awaits.

Ellis will be the third Western Jets product to play with at Gold Coast after Michael Rischitelli and Trent McKenzie, who sit 3rd and 9th on the SUNS’ all-time games list.